Our defense is awful...

jeffgt14

We don't quite suck as much anymore.
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5,897
Location
Mt Juliet, TN
Thanks for pointing out the real problem with letting mercer drive on us. This is how Duke beat us in 2014 and Pitt in 2015. It's our whole MO people! Control the clock on O and force the other team to be hyper efficient in execution of their own O and convert long drives for scores. If we're saying we need to be aggressive against better teams (because lord knows we still allow long scores in our base defense) we need to practice what we're going to perform.
Duke beat us in 2014 from crappy special teams and bad turnovers on O. The Pitt game last year was one of the few times under Roof I've seen our D be the sole reason we lost a game.
 

lv20gt

Helluva Engineer
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5,585
No, just make the right hire this time. trust me there are guys out there, Just look at Don Brown, he coached for a guy that was never a defensive coach unless he did in highschool, and yet he had Boston college ranked as the number 1 D in the country last year. Sorry but it's not the head coaches job to coach the D when he's the offensive coordinator, there's just not enough time to be a head coach over every aspect of the team and have to coach both sides, can he tell the D what he want? Sure, but he cannt be in two places at once and coach both sides at the same time. That's not how it works.


Paul Johnson is the head coach. Not the offensive coordinator. He is responsible for both sides of the ball, and after 3 DCs yield the same results it's long past time we start looking at Johnson and say maybe his approach is the problem. You say just make the right hire this time. Who made the wrong hire the last 3 times? All roads lead to Rome.

Also, it's not like our offense has been great recently. The last 12 games we're averaging just over 22 points per game. So maybe we should look into replacing our offensive coordinator while we're at it.
 

motynes

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
240
Location
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
I re-watched he game on on watchespn until the 4th quarter (apparently I had an older version from last year on my iPad and it didn't have the accnetwork on it and couldn't watch the game until I removed it from my iPad and downloaded it again). I paid close attention to the defense. I like the DL play. Not so much the linebacker play. Certain LB are very slow at recognition of plays. Our problem was two fold. First the play caller for Mercer call I good play for what we were lined up for and second our back seven tried to run around blocks too much instead of taking them on in the screen game. Now we should be able to fix the problems we had with the screen game and we have played the screen very well at times in the last few years. We have to get better at diagnosing them much quicker. We were very poor at this. Clemson and FSU will destroy is as they are very good at screens and have the horses to take them to the house. Other than that I was pleased. I really want to see more of Glanton and Simmons though. Anre played a good game as well.
 

forensicbuzz

21st Century Throwback Dad
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9,054
Location
North Shore, Chicago
There are 14 ACC teams. GT is tied for 3rd place on "scoring" defense (fewest points). We're behind Miami and Wake. Both Miami and Wake have played cupcakes.

Our D has allowed 24 points in two games. The worst two teams in the league have allowed 81 (Virginia) and 69 (Syracuse). The league average is to allow 42 points per game.

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And so did we. BC was 0-8 last year in the ACC and that wasn't because of their defense. They couldn't score. There's not much to show that's changed. Mercer is an FCS school that went 5-6 last year. The fact that we've given up 24 points in 2 games doesn't impress me. I'm not crapping on our defense, just expressing my apprehension based on what I've seen thus far.

My hopes is that the light goes on and these kids play like their hair's on fire. We'll see next week...
 

tech_wreck47

Helluva Engineer
Messages
8,670
Paul Johnson is the head coach. Not the offensive coordinator. He is responsible for both sides of the ball, and after 3 DCs yield the same results it's long past time we start looking at Johnson and say maybe his approach is the problem. You say just make the right hire this time. Who made the wrong hire the last 3 times? All roads lead to Rome.

Also, it's not like our offense has been great recently. The last 12 games we're averaging just over 22 points per game. So maybe we should look into replacing our offensive coordinator while we're at it.
Yes he is the coach, but he is also the offensive coordinator. If you go back and look at my comments you would realize I said if we are going to complain at cpj we need to do so for who he hired, so idk your point in even bringing that up. Also it's obvious last year was an anomaly on offense , with all the injuries and freshman playing, history shows us that, so I'm not really sure why you bring up him as an offensive coach when he has proven to be one of the best around. I'll say it again, yes he is responsible for EVERY aspect of the team, but that does not mean he is able to coach every aspect, that's what assistant coaches are for. With him being the offensive Coordinator he does not have time to coach both sides of the ball, the only thing he can do is tell the defensive coordinator what he wants, if the defensive Coordinator is not doing what cpj wants then that is on the defensive Coordinator, because he is responsible to teach his technique, game plan, and plays, not cpj. Cpj has the offensive side of the ball to make go. Once again we can blame cpj for the hires, but that's about it.
 

strong90

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
203
I'm not in the camp that suggests we fire Roof, but I would like to see some scheme changes. I'd prefer we abandon the "bend" approach and create an identity of playing fast and aggressive. Counting on your opponent to succumb to their own demise is not a winner's mentality. Yellow Jackets are supposed to swarm and attack...and they are meat eaters.
 

Techster

Helluva Engineer
Messages
18,390
FWIW, Last year WKU was 12-2, undefeated 8-0 Conf-USA champions, and won their bowl game. If I recall correctly, they finished in the top 25.

Their head coach, Jeff Brohm, is probably going to be one the hot names in coaching this offseason. Plays a very fan friendly offense that puts up big numbers. Had a lot of offers by non-P5 teams and lower P5 teams, but decided to sit tight until he gets a good P5 offer.

WKU is a good team. Mercer is not even in the same conversation as WKU in terms of caliber of team.
 

Ash

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
783
I'm not in the camp that suggests we fire Roof, but I would like to see some scheme changes. I'd prefer we abandon the "bend" approach and create an identity of playing fast and aggressive. Counting on your opponent to succumb to their own demise is not a winner's mentality. Yellow Jackets are supposed to swarm and attack...and they are meat eaters.

I don't know what the reasoning the coaching staff has for playing the corners so deep when we know they are going to short pass us down the field. Make contact and it's a 5 yard gain. Wiff on an arm tackle and it's 15+. If Mercer can do it, think of what Clemson is going to do. CPJ seems displeased, but nothing changes.
 

alagold

Helluva Engineer
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3,792
Location
Huntsville,Al
Take the name "Mercer" and "FCS" out of the equation.

Regardless of who the opponent was (it could even be against a top 10 FBS team), if you told me our D.... Failed to get a 3 & out the entire game, allowed 11/20 3rd & 4th down conversions, gave up a 17-play, 8 minute drive to start the 3rd quarter, the opponent consistently fell forward for extra yards, and we didn't create a single turnover.... then regardless of opponent, I would describe our D as weak and be surprised that we only gave up 10.

If you then told me it was Mercer, I would be worried.

I wish we were more aggressive on D. Having said that, we're 2-0 and we've been bent but not broken...

I agree with you on 1st comment.My response to you on last--lets talk after next week
 
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